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Nikki Giovanni: A strong voice for the Black community. Natalia Juan Camilo.
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Nikki Giovanni:A strong voice for the Black community Natalia Juan Camilo
Inspired by her grandmother and influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, Nikki Giovanni uses mostly imagery and metaphors to point out issues such as racism and politics, showing the American value of future orientation.
Inspiration • Grandmother: Told Giovanni she was “the best, smartest thing since sliced bread (Collier).” • Make her do book reports. • Inspired her to start reading and writing. (Collier 22-25) Back to Thesis
Influence • Civil Rights and Black Power Movement: Inspired early works collected in: Black Feeling, Black Talk (1967), Black Judgment (1968), and Re: Creation (1970). Back to Thesis
“We Are Virginia Tech” Politics “We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech. We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy. We are Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are Virginia Tech.” (Giovanni) Back to Thesis
“We Are Virginia Tech” FutureOrientation “We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech. We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy. We are Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are Virginia Tech.” (Giovanni) Back to Thesis
Imagery Knoxville Tennessee:“you can eat fresh cornFrom daddy's gardenAnd okraAnd greensAnd cabbageAnd lots ofBarbequeAnd buttermilkAnd homemade ice-creamAt the church picnic” Possum Crossing: “Backing out the driveway the car lights cast an eerie glow in the morning fog centering on movement in the rain slick street” Photography: “watching the red sun bleedinto the ocean” Back to Thesis
Metaphors Photography: “the eye we are toldis a camerabut the film is the heartnot the brain” Kidnap Poem: (Extended Metaphor) “if i were a poeti'd kidnap youput you in my phrases and meter” Back to Thesis
Racism Excerpt from Nikki-Rosa: “and I really hope no white person ever has cause to write about me because they never understand Black love is Black wealth and they’ll probably talk about my hard childhood and never understand that all the while I was quite happy” Back to Thesis
Works Cited • "Cultural Change: 1950-1980." America - Engaging the World - America.gov. 05 June 2008. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.america.gov/ • "Nikki Giovanni." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Academy of American Poets, Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.poets.org/ • Becerra, Cynthia S., and Paul Dellinger. "The Poetry of Giovanni." Masterplots II: African American Literature, Revised Edition (2008): 1-4. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com/ • Black Power. Photograph. Shook. 17 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 Feb 2011. <http://www.shook.fm/>. • Civil RightsMovement. Photograph. Luis Anderson. Web. 20 Feb 2011. http://luisanderson.wordpress.com/ • Collier, Andrea King. "Nikki Giovanni: A poetic force." Writer 118.10 (2005): 22-25. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 11 Feb 2011 http://http://web.ebscohost.com/ • Giovanni, Nikki. "Possum Crossing." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Academy of American Poets, Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.poets.org/ • --- “Photography.” Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Academy of American Poets, Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.poets.org/ • --- "Kidnap Poem." Ego-tripping: And Other Poems for Young People. New York: Lawrence Hill and, 1973. 9. Print. • --- "Knoxville, Tennessee." Ego-tripping: And Other Poems for Young People. New York: Lawrence Hill and, 1973. 15. Print. • --- "Nikki-Rosa." Ego-tripping: And Other Poems for Young People. New York: Lawrence Hill and, 1973. 16-17. Print. • Giovanni. Photograph. VNN Forum. 19 May 2007. Web. 13 Feb 2011. http://www.vnnforum.com • Helber, Steve. Nikki Giovanni. Photograph. Syracuse. Laura Ryan, 6 Dec. 2007. Web. 20 Feb 2011. http://blog.syracuse.com. • Nikki Giovanni. Photograph. FamousPoets and Poems. FamousPoets and Poems. Web. 17 Feb 2011. http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/ • Nikki Giovanni's Aha! Moment. Photograph. O, The Oprah Magazine. Oprah. Sept. 2007. Web. 13 Feb 2011. http://www.oprah.com/ • Rankine-Galloway, Honora, and Sarah Hilbert. "Nikki Giovanni." Critical Survey of Poetry, Second Revised Edition (n.d.): 1-7. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com • We Are Virginia Tech. Perf. Nikki Giovanni. Bing. NBC News, 4 Apr. 2007. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. http://www.bing.com/videos. • Wiedemann, Barbara. "Nikki-Rosa." Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition (n.d.): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com